July 9, 2026
FILM: ROMERIA
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: CARLA SIMON
STARRING: LLUCIA GARCIA, TRISTAN ULLOA, MITCH MARTIN
RATING: 3 out of 4 Stars
By Dan Pal
Carla Simon is a filmmaker from Barcelona, Spain who’s had a very successful career thus far. Projects like Alcarras and Summer 1993 have received great acclaim around the world. I’ve seen the former and quite admired it, so I was excited to check out her latest, Romeria, which premiered last year at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s been traveling the festival circuit since then and is now getting a limited theatrical release. The film is based on Simon’s own early life story. The main character, here called Marina, is an eighteen-year-old version of Simon, about to attend university. However, she needs papers signed that confirm her family bloodline so that she can apply for grants. The problem is that both of her parents died when she was very young. Raised by an adopted family, her grandparents have had nothing to do with her but she needs their certification that she is, in fact, their grandchild.
As the film begins, we hear the voice over of a woman in 1983 recounting the details of her young life. This is Marina’s mother. The film returns to her diary several times throughout the story as Marina travels to the Spanish coast to meet her relatives for the first time. The script alludes to there being no connection between her adoptive and biological families yet Marina doesn’t seem to have a difficult time finding and connecting with most of them. It’s a pretty big and close family so it’s a bit surprising that previous connections were never made. The major hold-out though is her grandmother, who is cold and immediately distant with Marina when they meet.
The whole film essentially is Marina’s journey uncovering details about her parents in 2004. There is a history of lies, secrets, heroin addiction, and AIDS that get revealed to her. Carla Simon’s approach is to keep us within the point of view of Marina so that we learn what she learns at the same time. This generally works, although I did find it a bit difficult for a few scenes to discern who was whom and how they were related to Marina. Much of the time is spent meeting the assorted cousins, aunts, and uncles who seem welcoming to Marina. She is still the outsider though. As such, much of the time she spends alone observing them. The dramatic tension is not immediately presented with the exception, again, of grandmother’s lack of acknowledgement of Marina.
Simon asks several questions via chapter titles before each major sequence during the film. One of these is an interesting one: just because people have the same blood does it mean they are truly family? The answer isn’t straightforward as we can see warmth among certain family members but also possible sexual tension between Marina and her cousin Nuno. Perhaps those lines are blurred but one does seem to satisfyingly win out over the other by the end.
One of the cinematic advantages the film has going for it is the setting, which is beautifully shot by cinematographer Helene Louvart. Certain moments almost feel like a travelogue from Marina’s perspective. This makes perfect sense as we find out she wants to study cinema and is seen filming throughout the area with her early 2000’s camcorder. This is, after all, director Carla Simon’s story and her memories of the time captured as a feature-length film.
There is a curious sequence which arrives rather suddenly late in the film in which the actors playing Marina and Nuno are shown in flashback as Marina’s parents. The characters have bonded and the diary has come to life. They portray the happy early days of the parents’ relationship as well as their struggles with drugs. This section of the film does feel a bit out of place but by this point Marina has a pretty solid understanding of who her parents were and the sequence is her filmic manifestation of what their time together may have been like together.
While the film explores some of the darker sides of Marina’s irresponsible parents and the distance of her grandmother, it is not a bleak experience. There are plenty of moments which enliven the film including the various scenes with Marina’s extended family and one big 80s style line dance number that is worth the price of admission. First-time film actress Llucia Garcia is also quite effective as Marina as well as her mother.
Romeria is an interesting memoir for the filmmaker but also a thoughtful reflection on parenting and survival.
Romeria is now playing in limited release and opens tomorrow at the Gene Siskel Center in Chicago.
FILM: ROMERIA
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: CARLA SIMON
STARRING: LLUCIA GARCIA, TRISTAN ULLOA, MITCH MARTIN
RATING: 3 out of 4 Stars
By Dan Pal
Carla Simon is a filmmaker from Barcelona, Spain who’s had a very successful career thus far. Projects like Alcarras and Summer 1993 have received great acclaim around the world. I’ve seen the former and quite admired it, so I was excited to check out her latest, Romeria, which premiered last year at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s been traveling the festival circuit since then and is now getting a limited theatrical release. The film is based on Simon’s own early life story. The main character, here called Marina, is an eighteen-year-old version of Simon, about to attend university. However, she needs papers signed that confirm her family bloodline so that she can apply for grants. The problem is that both of her parents died when she was very young. Raised by an adopted family, her grandparents have had nothing to do with her but she needs their certification that she is, in fact, their grandchild.
As the film begins, we hear the voice over of a woman in 1983 recounting the details of her young life. This is Marina’s mother. The film returns to her diary several times throughout the story as Marina travels to the Spanish coast to meet her relatives for the first time. The script alludes to there being no connection between her adoptive and biological families yet Marina doesn’t seem to have a difficult time finding and connecting with most of them. It’s a pretty big and close family so it’s a bit surprising that previous connections were never made. The major hold-out though is her grandmother, who is cold and immediately distant with Marina when they meet.
The whole film essentially is Marina’s journey uncovering details about her parents in 2004. There is a history of lies, secrets, heroin addiction, and AIDS that get revealed to her. Carla Simon’s approach is to keep us within the point of view of Marina so that we learn what she learns at the same time. This generally works, although I did find it a bit difficult for a few scenes to discern who was whom and how they were related to Marina. Much of the time is spent meeting the assorted cousins, aunts, and uncles who seem welcoming to Marina. She is still the outsider though. As such, much of the time she spends alone observing them. The dramatic tension is not immediately presented with the exception, again, of grandmother’s lack of acknowledgement of Marina.
Simon asks several questions via chapter titles before each major sequence during the film. One of these is an interesting one: just because people have the same blood does it mean they are truly family? The answer isn’t straightforward as we can see warmth among certain family members but also possible sexual tension between Marina and her cousin Nuno. Perhaps those lines are blurred but one does seem to satisfyingly win out over the other by the end.
One of the cinematic advantages the film has going for it is the setting, which is beautifully shot by cinematographer Helene Louvart. Certain moments almost feel like a travelogue from Marina’s perspective. This makes perfect sense as we find out she wants to study cinema and is seen filming throughout the area with her early 2000’s camcorder. This is, after all, director Carla Simon’s story and her memories of the time captured as a feature-length film.
There is a curious sequence which arrives rather suddenly late in the film in which the actors playing Marina and Nuno are shown in flashback as Marina’s parents. The characters have bonded and the diary has come to life. They portray the happy early days of the parents’ relationship as well as their struggles with drugs. This section of the film does feel a bit out of place but by this point Marina has a pretty solid understanding of who her parents were and the sequence is her filmic manifestation of what their time together may have been like together.
While the film explores some of the darker sides of Marina’s irresponsible parents and the distance of her grandmother, it is not a bleak experience. There are plenty of moments which enliven the film including the various scenes with Marina’s extended family and one big 80s style line dance number that is worth the price of admission. First-time film actress Llucia Garcia is also quite effective as Marina as well as her mother.
Romeria is an interesting memoir for the filmmaker but also a thoughtful reflection on parenting and survival.
Romeria is now playing in limited release and opens tomorrow at the Gene Siskel Center in Chicago.